A patriot who saved the lives of fellow soldiers from a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2012 deserves far better than the treatment Raffique Khan suffered at the hands of New York City law enforcement.
The veteran received a Bronze Star for his valor, but then he found himself in the middle of another battle. Last week, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan ruled that Khan had no grounds to pursue a lawsuit for violation of his civil rights.
The details should be a warning to all law-abiding gun owners.
Veteran arrested after officers did not recognize his carry permit
At the time, the decorated veteran was an armed federal environmental protection specialist working at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. He was fully licensed to carry his firearm.
When Khan went to a restaurant on November 26, 2023, for his late mother’s birthday celebration, he asked an employee if the establishment served alcohol. This, as he knew, would prevent him from legally possessing his firearm on the grounds.
When told that alcohol was indeed served, Khan returned to his vehicle and placed the weapon inside. And that should have been that.
Judge ruled plaintiff had no grounds to sue arresting officers
However, someone called the authorities and told them that an individual attempted to enter the restaurant with a firearm. Responding officers found that Khan indeed had a “business carry” license, an outdated term that had not been updated in New York City’s records.
The officers were unfamiliar with this permit and arrested Khan and his two companions. The three were held for 35 hours, and the veteran was forced to surrender his firearms.
The charges were ultimately dropped, as they should have been, and Khan’s weapons were returned.
He subsequently sued over what he deemed was an unlawful arrest, and Judge Cogan recognized that the officers were not properly familiar with the law.
The judge agreed that the officer erred. However, Cogan determined that the police had probable cause based on the information they received and that Khan’s storage of the weapon in his glove box constituted a violation of the law.
The native of Trinidad and Tobago told reporters that he did not expect such treatment.
“To be honest, I’m disappointed,” Khan observed. “I never thought I would serve and come home to be treated in this manner. I love my country. I wasn’t born here, but what better way to pay your country than to serve. I did it honorably.”
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